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Next Year's Web and How To Get There "If I were you I wouldn't start from here!" Brian Kelly UK Web Focus UKOLN University of Bath [email protected] 1 Structured Documentation Store web resources in a rich structured open master format Why: To overcome HTML deficiencies Barriers: Lack of standards. HTML provides little structure How: XML Familiarisation: Jumbo browser See also http://www.textuality.com/xml/ 2 Web Visualisation http://www.dynamicdiagrams.com/ Visualisation of a web site to aid end user navigation Why: To make navigation easier for end users To provide tailorable views (e.g. only show "personal home pages") Barriers: Lack of standards. Proprietary, licensed software. See also WebCutter at http://www6.nttlabs.com/ How: Web Collections HyperNews/get/PAPER40.html Familiarisation: MAPA, NetObjects Fusion 3 Better Searching (1) Why: Time wasted in searching Barriers: Lack of metadata standards. Lack of tools How: Dublin Core Familiarisation: Read UKOLN resources at http://www. ukoln.ac.uk/ metadata/ Take part in pilot 4 Better Searching (2) Application of heuristic techniques in searching Why: Time wasted in searching Barriers: Lack of organisational guidelines How: Heuristics. Consistency in URLs across institution Familiarisation: Ahoy! 5 http://ahoy.cs. washington.edu:6060/ A Manageable Web (1) Use of metadata for site management Why: Site metadata on authoring tools, authoring methods, document types, .. Barriers: Lack of standards How: Dublin Core, PICS, XML,... Familiarisation: UKOLN metadata work 6 Metadata to assist with following requests: • Find all pages created using Internet Assistant v1 • Find all pages which use Jscript • Find pages where author = {find author from departed-staff} A Manageable Web (2) Use of server side management techniques Why: Single copy to minimise maintenance Barriers: Performance, cost of software, Unix How: Server side includes, Familiarisation: MS Active Server Pages, Netscape Suitespot, PHP/FI, ... 7 <If useragent=netscape1.1 then else if useragent= …> <P>This resource is copyright ... Adding code / text to static HTML resource: • complex • difficult to maintain <#If useragent=netscape1.1 then else if useragent= …> <#include copyright-1.txt> Server side management tools: • HTML resource clean • easier to maintain <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"> <!-- Hide this from JavaScript-challenged browsers var FirstSlide = 1;var LastSlide = 17; var CurrentSlide = FirstSlide;var ImageWidth = 708 - 8; var ImageHeight = 520; var CurImageWidth = ImageWidth; var CurImageHeight = ImageHeight; /* This function concerts numbers to strings */ <HTML><BODY > <A HREF="JavaScript:parent. function CvtNtoS(iNum) ItemClicked(1, 0)"> An Introduction to {return ("" + iNum);} /* This function prefixes strings with the correct # of 0's */Metadata </A><BR> <A HREF="JavaScript:parent. function ZeroFill(iNum, iDigits) ItemClicked(2, 0)"> UK Web Focus { var sNum = CvtNtoS(iNum); </A><BR><A HREF="JavaScript: while (sNum.length < iDigits) parent.ItemClicked(3, 0)"> Early Days sNum = "0" + sNum; of the Web (1) </A><br> return sNum;} HTML><BODY > /* this function handles the setting the navigation buttons. <base target="_top"> The name of navigation control is used here so change it if it is renamed */ <A HREF="JavaScript: function ItemClicked(iIndex, iNoteOnly) parent.OutlineExpand(0)"><IMG {var sIndex = ZeroFill(iIndex, 3); SRC="collapse.gif" BORDER=0 var sNoteHref = "note" + sIndex + ".htm"; ALT="Collapse"></A> var sSlideImage = "img" + sIndex + ".htm"; <A HREF="JavaScript: if (!iNoteOnly) // not active X, update image and nav btns parent.OutlineExpand(1)"><IMG frames["SlideImage"].location.href = sSlideImage; SRC="expand.gif" BORDER=0 frames["Notes"].location.href = sNoteHref; ALT="Expand"></A> CurrentSlide = iIndex;} <STRONG>Demise of Tags</STRONG> Demise of text editor for authoring Why: HTML will be too complex Barriers: Inertia. Too many tools! How: Recommendations on authoring tools Familiarisation: Front Page, Netobjects Fusion, ... 8 Richer Hyperlinking Richer forms of hyperlinking Why: Increased functionality Barriers: Lack of standards How: XML, Javascript Familiarisation: SoftQuad HiP, http://www.w3.org/ XML/ Reference Tutorial See further instructions 9 English French XML-Linking Multi-way links Link destination: • Replaces existing document • Included inline in document • Displayed in new window Resolve link at: • document load • user action An Accessible Web Web resources accessible Technologies to people with disabilities • Style sheets: Why: Equality. Spinoffs control over appearance for "temporarily ableneeded by designers, but with end user ability to bodied persons" change appearance (not Barriers: Lack of achievable with images) standards, lack of • Aural style sheets: awareness, misuse of e.g. <STRONG> rendered HTML as LOUD voice, or pause before phrase, How: WAI, Institutional <DT>, <DD> rendered using policies male / female voices, Familiarisation: WAI columns in tables using left pages and right stereo channels 10 HTML Developments End user control over layout, better printing, ... Why: Increased functionality Barriers: Lack of standards How: CSS, HTML 4.0 (Cougar) Familiarisation: IE 4, Netscape 4 HTML 4.0 (Cougar) • Document Object Model (DOM): APIs (application program interface) for HTML/CSS elements. Provides a programming interface for HTML (hooks for Javascript, etc.) • Forms: Improved forms • Printing: Better control over printing • Layout: Absolute positioning of HTML elements, layering, etc 11 Increasing Use Of Java 12 Expect to see increasing use of Java: Why: Provide extra functionality on client; Minimise support load for desktop applications Barriers: Performance concerns (real and imaginary - cf XMosaic) How: Standard web browser Z39.50 clients are being Familiarisation: http://www.gamelan developed using Java .com/ A Customisable Web End user choice of preferred formats (HTML or PDF, GIF or PNG), features (frames or tables), languages, etc. Why: Choice for the end user, deployment of new features Barriers: Lack of standards, misuse of HTML How: TCN, Cookies Familiarisation: http://tips.iworld.com/ 13 Replace this with use of cookies or transparent content negotiation Maths Mathematical formulae on the web. Why: Needed by scientists, images of formulae are slow and have no semantics Barriers: Lack of standards How: MML, XML, Java, ActiveX Familiarisation: http://www.w3.org/ MarkUp/Math/ 14 A Quicker Web More effective use of scarce bandwidth Technologies • Caching: Essential! Why: The web is too slow! Barriers: Limitations of • HTTP/1.1: New protocol is more cacheprotocols (HTML, HTTP) aware, and avoids problems How: Caching, HTTP/1.1, (e.g. stale information) which HTTP/NG, Education, have occurred in the past Charging! • HTTP/NG: Familiarisation: Proposal for new protocol Monitoring web pages, • Style sheets: Internet magazines, Avoids need for large images for design effects attending workshops 15 Collaborative Tools Use of collaborative and conferencing web tools. Why: Provide rich collaborative tools Barriers: Lack of locking, notification systems, HTML deficiencies How: WebDAV work, Cougar Familiarisation: Amaya, http://union.ncsa. uiuc.edu/HyperNews/ get/hypernews.html 16 Push Technologies Use of push technologies. Why: Push information, teaching and learning services to end users Barriers: Lack of standards, bandwidth concerns How: CDF Familiarisation: Pointcast IE 4 17 Conclusions • The web is still developing rapidly • Conformance to standards is important • Institutions will have to continually monitor new developments • There is a real danger that the costs in providing web services will increase when chasing new developments 18